Information Services - Statistical Reports

Dropout Rates 1999 - 2000

Returned Dropouts

Of all students who dropped out during the 1999-00 reporting year, 15.4 percent returned to school by October 1, 2000. These students are referred to as returned dropouts. This percentage is lower than it was the prior year, when 17.6 percent of all dropouts returned to school.

The percentage of returned dropouts varied by school. Of the 323 schools that had any of the grades nine through twelve and had dropouts during the 1999-00 reporting year, a majority (72 percent) had less than 20 percent of their dropouts re-enroll in school.

Approximately 25 percent (82 schools) had none of their dropouts return to school by October 1, 2000. Seven schools had all of their dropouts return to school.

Table 5. Returned Dropouts as a Percentage of All Dropouts, 1999-00*

ReturnedDropouts

Number of Schools

Percent of Schools

0%

82

25

1-20%

153

47

21-40%

59

18

41-60%

15

5

61-80%

5

2

81-99%

2

1

100%

7

2

* Table includes only those schools who had dropouts. Percent of schools may not total to 100 percent due to rounding.

The percentage of returned dropouts also varied among specific populations of students. In other words, certain student populations were more likely to return to school than others (see Table 1).

Grade In 1999-00, students in grade eleven (16.6 percent) were most likely to return to school, followed by grade twelve (16.5 percent), grade ten (15.9 percent) and grade nine (12.8 percent). The figures for all grades showed a decrease from the previous year.

Gender Female dropouts were more likely to return to school in 1999-00 than male dropouts were. The percentage of returned dropouts for females, 15.9 percent, is a decrease from the previous year, when 16.8 percent of females who dropped out returned to school. The percentage of males who dropped out and returned to school in 1999-00 was 15.1 percent, down from 18.3 percent in 1998-99.

Race/Ethnicity Asian students who dropped out were more likely to return to school than students of other racial/ethnic backgrounds. Of the Asian students who dropped out, 20.4 percent returned to school. White students (16.1 percent) were the second most likely to re-enroll, followed by African-American students (14.1 percent) and Hispanic students (13.0 percent). Native-American students (6.3 percent) were the least likely to re-enroll. For all race/ethnicity groups, the percentage of dropouts who returned to school decreased from the previous year.

Vocational-Technical Schools Students at vocational-technical schools were less likely to return to school than were students statewide. Of the vocational students who dropped out, 9.5 percent returned to school, a significant decrease from 16.6 percent the prior year. Students at regional, county or independent vocational schools were slightly more likely to return to school than were students at city or town vocational schools (8.9 vs. 8.3 percent, respectively).

Charter Schools Of the 129 students who dropped out of charter schools, 6.9 percent (nine students) returned to school by October 1, 2000.